108. Promotion Denied

"How did this happen!" exclaimed Raj, expressing his disbelief and disappointment.

"What can I say? We can't always expect our expectations to come true, can we?" replied Prithvi.

"You should have definitely got this promotion. Meet the General Manager (GM) and convey your disappointment to him."

"What purpose will it serve? The promotion list has already been released."

"The GM would have recommended your name for promotion, wouldn't he?"

"Of course, he would have. From the time I joined the company, he has been highly supportive of me. The credit for all the advancements I have made in this company should go to him. In the present case, the promotion list was approved by the Managing Director (MD). So, it was the MD's decision. The MD would have preferred other executives over me." 

"It is believed that the MD would go only by the GM's recommendation. Is it not true?" asked Raj.

Prithvi didn't answer him.

That afternoon, Prithvi had to meet the General Manager in his cabin, for a discussion. The General Manager talked to him only about the matter they had to discuss. He didn't say anything about the promotion list released by the company and Prithvi's name not finding a place in the list.

Prithvi came out of the General Manager's cabin, reflecting on the denial of promotion to him, a person widely perceived as deserving by many people in the company.

Prithvi felt that the General Manager refraining from talking about the promotions was a confirmation of his suspicion that the General Manager had not recommended him for the promotion. 

In the evening, his friend Raj asked him, "I saw you going to the GM's cabin in the afternoon. Did he say anything about your missing the promotion?"

"Yes. He felt sorry about my missing the promotion. He said that he was surprised how it had happened and consoled me that I would get my promotion the next time, definitely."

Prithvi didn't tell his friend that for the past few weeks, he had been having a strained relationship with the General Manager, as a result of his disagreeing with the General Manager's approach on a matter, that he had already guessed that the General Manager wouldn't recommend him for the promotion and that he was, therefore, reconciled to the prospect of his name not finding a place in the promotion list.

Prithvi had decided that considering the good things the General Manager had done to him in the past, he won't talk to anyone, including his close friend Raj, about the injustice done to him by the General Manager, out of spite, resulting from a disagreement over an issue relating to an official matter.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 11
Gratitude

Verse 108 (In Tamil)

nanRi maRappadhu nanRanRu nanRalladhu
anRE maRappadhu nanRu.

Meaning:

We should not forget the good deeds done to us by another person. But the harm done to us by another person should be forgotten immediately.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'padhavi uyarvu kidaikkavillai' by the same author)

Verse 109 (Soon)
Verse 107